t threatening motion the woman had mechanically withdrawn,
but now curiosity brought her again closer to the grating, on
perceiving that Rollo made no attempt to intrude his hand within.

"These are the royal arms of Spain, are they not?" she said, and dropped
an involuntary curtsy.

Then Rollo played his trump card. The ring was made with a certain
secret spring beneath the stone, which when touched sprang up like the
lid of a box, and a beautiful little miniature was revealed, encircled
with hair of a dark brown colour.

"Do you know who that is?" he said.

"His absolute Majesty Carlos Quinto!" said the portress with a deep
reverence.

"Well, then," Rollo went on, "take this ring, and with it the hair of
the anointed and Christian King. It is a great trust, but I give it into
your hands. Carry it reverently as a token to the Lady Superior that a
messenger from the King waits to speak a word with her!"

The head of the portress disappeared from the young man's sight with the
profundity and compass of the reverence with which she received the
image of the sovereign of all true Catholic hearts. She went off
immediately, and by standing on tiptoe in the white dust, Rollo could
see her heavy black skirts playing bo-peep with a pair of very thick
ankles.

As the young man stood drumming his fingers upon the window-sill, with
his nail he detached flake after flake of plaster, and filliped each as
it fell into the courtyard. He had only occupied himself with this
amusement for five minutes, when suddenly the most piquant face in the
world appeared at the wicket.

"Better that you should look to your horse," a pair of red lips said in
the soft Southland speech of Andalucia, "he is chafing himself to pieces
on a too tight curb!"

"Thank you, Senorita!" said Rollo, his heart instantly disturbed within
him, for he was a merciful man by nature and consistently kind to his
beast. Then he turned about, loosened the curb, and, looking over his
horse, noticed that the tail strap also lathered the animal, whereupon
he eased that. Then with a smiling countenance he turned for approval to
the face at the wicket, but he was too late. His mentor had vanished.

He waited full ten minutes in the glaring sunshine, till indeed he
well-nigh staggered as he felt the hot beams reflected full upon him
from the whitewashed brick and painted door. There was not a handbreadth
of shade anywhere, and the iron handles and girds of the barred